The state reported 104 Covid cases Monday, in line with the state average of 100 during the past week, according to Department of Health data.
After weeks of increasing cases, followed by volatile numbers in the post-Thanksgiving period, the state seems to have settled on a more steady level of cases in the past week — a sign that Covid’s period of explosive growth is leveling off.
On Sunday, the health department reported 119 new cases, on Saturday 80, and two deaths on Saturday.
Chittenden County once again led the state for Covid cases, with 52 cases reported. The county reported 574 cases in the past two weeks, with Franklin County and Washington County each reporting about 150 cases.
The state also added another death to its data Monday, bringing the total to 96. Just under 40% of the state’s deaths in the pandemic have occurred since Oct. 1, the latest wave of the virus, while 70% of the state’s cases came after Oct. 1.
Vermont reported 26 people are currently hospitalized for the virus, with four in the ICU. The number of people hospitalized has remained fairly steady for the past two weeks, staying mostly between 20 and 30.
It’s unclear how long the people hospitalized for the virus have been in the hospital, because the state doesn’t report data on new admissions. Studies have found that Covid patients can be in the hospital for anywhere from a few days to two months, meaning that many of the currently hospitalized Vermont patients could be cases first reported weeks ago.
Racial disparities persist
Although the latest wave of the virus has drastically changed Vermont’s Covid numbers, one pattern remains in place from the summer: The racial disparity between white Vermonters and Vermonters of color.
Black Vermonters have the highest rate of Covid among any racial group, with 281 per 10,000 Black Vermonters contracting the disease. The ratio for white Vermonters is considerably lower, with 74 per 10,000 becoming infected, according to Department of Health data.
Asian Vermonters also have a higher Covid rate, with 185 per 10,000 Asian Vermonters getting the disease. American Indian and Alaskan Native Vermonters, along with Vermonters classified as “other,” appear to have a lower rate than white Vermonters, but the sample size for both is so small that it’s likely not comparable to other groups.
Hispanic Vermonters, classified as an ethnicity separate from race, have a higher rate of Covid than non-Hispanic Vermonters, at 96 per 10,000 compared to 73 per 10,000.
While remaining the most affected racial group, Black Vermonters’ Covid cases have slowed a bit compared to other groups. Cases among Black Vermonters rose roughly 42% from Oct. 1 to now, while they rose more than 200% among white and Asian Vermonters.
The Department of Health has cited several factors that could be behind the pandemic’s disparate impact on people of color, including the wide-reaching effects of systemic and structural racism.
“People whose communities are underserved may have higher rates of underlying medical conditions,” along with working more at high-risk jobs and living in congregate living spaces, the health department said in a September report.
Gov. Phil Scott created a Racial Equity Task Force in June that publishes a report on Covid racial inequities.
